Andrew McCarthy
Team Leader
ORCID: 0000-0003-4478-0136
EditThe McCarthy team works on the operation, improvement, and automation of MX and bioSAXS beamlines, and studies protein involved in signalling and neuronal development. Edit
Synchrotron Crystallography Team
Team Leader
ORCID: 0000-0003-4478-0136
EditThe Synchrotron Crystallography Team works in close collaboration with the Macromolecular X-ray Crystallography, Imaging, and Scattering group of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in the design, construction and operation of macromolecular crystallography (MX), biological small angle X-ray scattering (bioSAXS) beamlines. We are currently co-responsible for the microfocus MX beamline on ID23-2, the fully automatic MX beamline on MASSIF-1/ID30A-1, the tunable MX beamline on ID30B and the new serial MX (SMX) beamline on ID29. We’re also involved in the development of web based graphical user interfaces, MXCuBE-Web and BSXCuBE-Web, for MX and bioSAXS beamlines at the ESRF. Further information on these facilities can be found on the EMBL Grenoble services webpage. In addition, we work in close collaboration with the Papp team on the design and user aspects of new scientific instruments. We also actively contribute in the design and implementation of complex MX and bioSAXS experimental workflows for automated sample screening, data collection and analyses.
In the laboratory, we study proteins involved in neuronal development, particularly the Slit-Robo signalling complex; Autotaxin ─ an important lysophospholipase implicated in many pathological diseases; RNA writer proteins in collaboration with the Pillai group at the University of Geneva, phosphoryl transfer proteins, and proteins involved in the Toxoplasma gondii immune evasion in collaboration with Dr. Hakimi of Grenoble Medical University.
The ESRF Extremely Brilliant Source began user operation in August 2020. Significant instrument and software upgrades were completed on all ESRF-EMBL Joint Structural Biology and bioImaging Group Beamlines while MASSIF-1 and BM29 underwent major refurbishments. On MASSIF-1 a new MD2S diffractometer and FlexHCD sample changer were installed for increased sample throughput and a CrystalDirectTM harvester was installed to allow direct sample delivery from crystallisation plates. On BM29 we’re leading the development of microfluidic devices for time-resolved SAXS measurement. The new SMX beamline on ID29 opened to users in October 2022 and new serial MX and time-resolved experimental possibilities are constantly under development. On ID23-2 we have developed a new in situ serial crystallography (iSX) data collection mode that is complementary to those available on ID29. On ID30B we’ve just installed a PILATUS4 CdTe decrier to enable high resolution data collection option. We have also started the development of high throughput X-ray tomography imaging experimental setup to expand the capabilities of ID30B. To harness the unique scientific potential of the fourth generation ESRF-EBS X-ray beams for European structural biologists we will continue to develop web based user interfaces and more sophisticated automated data collection and analyses methods. We hope all these combined efforts will have an impact on future challenging structural biology projects.
In the laboratory, we will continue our research on the Slit-Robo signalling complex by trying to decipher how exactly Slit activates Robo on the cell surface. We will also continue our studies on the mechanistic selection and activation of MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinases by upstream MAPK kinases as well as their subversion by T. gondii. Lastly, we will continue our work on Autotaxin and RNA writers.
